It can be difficult to know what to say—and not to say—to an anxious friend, whose heart is captive to fear and needs freedom from her suffering. You want to be an encouragement but not an enabler. Her anxiety seems relentless; day after day, she calls or texts, asking for prayer and hoping for relief. As you minister truth in love to your anxious friend, here are seven things that are often best left unsaid. Continue Reading →
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Doctor after doctor, test after test, confirmed that Susie was just fine. No brain tumor. She did not have the dreaded disease she feared. Yet despite doctors’ reassurances, Susie clung to her stubborn worry that something was terribly wrong with her health. Continue Reading →
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Susie was back at the ER, her third visit this month. She complained of head pressure. The doctor asked her questions and ordered a CT scan, which indicated no physical disease. Susie insisted that something was horribly wrong with her. “What if I have a brain tumor or a brain bleed?” she thought over and over and over. Continue Reading →
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Picture yourself in line to ride the biggest, fastest rollercoaster at Six Flags Great America. You feel nervous as the people all around you rave about the steep drops, the banked turns, and the cobra roll. You inch toward the platform and notice your quickened heartbeat and upset stomach and wonder, “Will this rollercoaster be fun or a nightmare? Should I stick it out or bail? Is it better to engage my fear or avoid it?” Continue Reading →
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My mother-in-law is an expert worrier. She worries about the weather. She worries about dinner turning out alright. She worries that my husband and I will get home in one piece. Worry fills one’s thoughts with apprehension. It can keep a person up at night. It also seems second nature, right? Seriously, who does not worry at least some of the time? Continue Reading →
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